Plein air near State Muzium

This artwork done on location during last Chinese New Year's holiday near Sarawak State Muzium (23/01/2012). Arrived at about 10.00am with the sun shining aggressively and accompanied by our family members.

Completed about an hour later and finalized at studio for another hour. I decide to use watercolor and it is my 1st plein air painting using this medium. A very good feel came thru' me esp. with the light rays came thru' the trees around.
The State Muzium Garden Post 8" X 10" watercolor on paper, plein air painting.

My Garden Lamp Post

Lama dah tak buat watercolor sejak saya switch ke acrylic dan kemudian oil...baru-baru ni saya kembali cuba-cuba buat watercolor painting sejak kali akhir pada sekitar 2005. Karya terakhir tersebut ada saya upload kan dalam FB. Ini adalah post water painting saya yang pertama setelah practice beberapa painting lebih kecil( saiz 3" X 5") sebelum saya cuba buat sikit besar.

My Garden Lamp Post 9" X 11" watercolor on paper baru disiapkan pd awal Jan 2012. Saya memang dah tertarik dgn lampu yang ada di atas tiang pagar rumah saya sejak dulu lagi setiap kali pancaran matahari membentuk bayang ke arah lampu tersebut setiap pagi.
Teknik watercolor kali ni agak jauh berbeza dari teknik saya beberapa tahun dahulu. Nampaknya mcm banyak terpengaruh dgn suasana serta feel semasa...TQ for viewing!...banyak lg siri2 watercolor yang saya siapkan tapi kena pilih juga yg ok..

Baruk Bidayuh II

Saya agak teruja untuk melakar kembali Baruk ini kerana ia amat memberi kesan kepada setiap pengunjung yang datang ke Kg. Budaya Sarawak. Ia adalah salah sebuah bangunan tradisional yang paling lama yang ada di Kg. Budaya ini.

Saya cuba untuk memperbetulkan dan menambah baik 'stroke' knife yang saya gunakan serta warna-warna yang digunakan juga saya eksperimenkan dan kembangkan kepada warna-warna lain yang saya kira lebih sesuai mengikut keadaan semasa di lokasi...painting ini lebih besar sedikit daripada siri I (11" X 16" oil on panel) dan ia disiapkan di studio. Selepas daripada painting ini, saya ada menyiapkan 1 lagi painting tetapi di suasana berbeza tetapi ia kurang menyerlah, mungkin kerana sudah sampai ke tahap 'nilai kepuasan sut' yang tetinggi(apa-apa je lah...!) TQ for viewing...

Baruk Bidayuh

Baruk Bidayuh 9" X 11" oil on panel, painting knife done in November 2011.
Scene is at Sarawak Cultural Village, it's an old house of head of Bidayuh's tribe. New house is under construction about 50ft. from this house...

New Painting

Di Hulu Sg. Sarawak 18" X 24" oil on canvas using my old brush. Completed sometime in November 2011. Location is near Bau, Sarawak.
This is a studio painting...(nama je studio, tp kat ruang tamu rumah sy tu lah..lum ada studio sendiri maaa...).
Note: Its regarding my post made yesterday: Snake Stone at Bako National Park, painting size is 22" X 34", oil on canvas, painting brush, 2011).

Snake Stone

Its not my latest painting...done about 2 months back. Could not upload due to the busy time during the school holiday.

This is an image of the famous Snake Stone at Bako National Park, Sarawak. About 37KM from Kuching to the jetty of Kg. Bako and about 30mins. to reach the location by boat. This is an oil painting on canvas, size of around 20" X 30"(yet to be confirmed...), painting is a composition of several images recorded from the net.
Thank you for viewing. Pls give comments about this work. TQ.

'Sketch Theory' by Ng Woon Lam

Its already about 2+ mths since my last post to this blog due to the busy time at my office...
Today would like to share this great notes from Ng Woon Lam - a great watercolorist from Singapore:

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Just for fun: This is my mathematical estimation why we do sketches.

Taking 30" X 22" watercolor as an example.

Assume average time to complete a complex 30" X 22" watercolor
8 hours of painting time

8hours = 8 X 60 = 480min

One year, let's say, we paint 12 'GOOD' paintings = 12 X 480min = 5760 min
However, the success rate of making a reasonablely good 30" X 22" watercolor
is as low as 50% or lower.

Taking 50% as e.g => Needs to paint 24 paintings to get 12 Good ones

=> Total time taken = 5760 X 2 = 11520 min
One sketch on average takes 3 mins

=> 11520 / 3 = 3840 pages of sketches can be made in a year
if I don't waste time to paint.

If for 3 years I just sketch and don't paint => 3840 X 3 = 11520 pages of sketches.

In my life, I have not met any artist that has done more than 10,000 pages
of sketches and still has not acquired high level of skills.

=> It only takes as short of 3 years to be an excellent artists. Isn't this cool!

That's why I always focus on sketches.
Share this with you painter friends and they will stop painting for awhile.

Chinese Painting master Li Ku Chan (李苦禅) says" Sketching trains 'quick hand', 'fast eyes' and 'hand and heart' can hence work together, arriving at brushworks that are: FIRM, ACCURATE & FIERCE!"

'Sketch Theory' by Ng Woon Lam 
http://singaporewatercolour.blogspot.com/search/label/Botanical%20Garden%20Brooklyn%20Watercolor%20Painting%20Ng%20Woon%20Lam%20NWS
 Hope everybody enjoy from this great notes.